Improvement in revolving fire-arms



2- Sheds-Sheet l G. C. BUNSEN..

Revolver.

No. 51,690. PamdDee. 26, 1865.

b ff? am/m@ N. PETERS. PHOYO-UTHOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON. 11C.

yNo. 51,690.

GC:BUN5EN. ReVQlve-r.

Patented De@ 2e, 1865i N.PTER. PHDTOMTHOGRAPHER, wAsmNGTON. D c.

PATENT Errea GEORGE O. BUNSEN, OF BELLEVILLE, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT IN REVOLVING FIRE-ARMS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 51,690, dated December26, 1865.

T0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE C. BUNsEN, of Belleville, in the county ofSt. Clair and State of Illinois, have invented new and usefulImprovements in Fire-Arms; and Ido herebyT declare that the following isa full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable othersskilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanyingdrawings, forming part ot' this specification, in which-Figure l is a plan view,as seen from the left side, of the butt andstock and of the operating parts and part of the barrel of a guncontaining my improvements, the cover being removed to show the parts.Fig. 2 is a View, partlyin section, on a longitudinal line passing abovethe spring A, and showing some of the parts in elevation, the casing ofboth sides of the butt being removed. Fig. 3 is a plan of the disk whichlies behind the cylinder of the gun, and Fig. et is a vertical sectionthereof. Fig. 5 is aview of the cocker and of some of its connections.Fig. 6 is a view of the leve'r which rotates the disk and cylinder. Fig.7 is a detailed view of the safety-guard. Fig. 8 is a detail showin gthe manner of attachin gthe baycnet.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts.

My object in this invention is to produce a repeatingrifle which willnot need to be revolved by the hand for every shot. An arm of this sortwill be of great advantage in deerhunting, as it will allow the hunterto keep sight on the running deer while the gun discharges the contentsof its cylinder in a successive series automatically. It will also be ofgreat service in hunting other game and for military uses.

Ordinary revolvers or repeating fire-arms cannot accomplish like resultswith niyarm in hunting swift-running animals, as they take too much timeto be got ready for each succeeding discharge, and the hunter has tolose sightin the act of cooking the piece. In shooting Water-fowl at agreat distance a ride-barral for 0 sized shot, arranged after myinvention, would do great execution', as a manychambered breech for thatsize of shot might be made to hold ten to fifteen charges without beingtoo bulky, and two shot might be loaded in each chamber and the wholedischarged in about two seconds, having greater range than a shot-gun,and being made to scatter by the hunter in moving his aim along the lineofthe object, whether the same be stationary or running game or a ock ofbirds in flight. My plan may also be used for smooth-bored guns, givingthe hunter six shots through one barrel, (where a cylinder with sixchambers is used,) which he might discharge singly or in rapidsuccession.

Fig. l shows the butt of a gun made hollow to receive the operatingparts seen in the igure. Stay-pieces A2 are firmly secured to thefacings A4,in order to sustain the works Within and to furnish bearingsfor the shafts of the pinions and other devices. A hollow shaft orarbor, B, secured in the stay-pieces in the lower part of the buttcarries a spring, A, whose outer end is fastened to the inside of thebutt. The arbor is carried upon a solid shaft, to which the pinion F issecured. The shaft and hollow arbor are connected by a spring-pawl andratchet in the usual manner, so that the hollow arbor turns loosely onthe shaft when the spring is wound up and engages with it to drive thepinion when it revolves in the opposite direction. The spring is woundup by applying' a key to the projecting end ot' the Y hollow arbor. Thepinion-wheel F is secured on its shaft on the inside of the 'side orstay piece, and the shaft projects beyond its bearing on that side, inorder to receive another pinion-wheel, G', which is held thereon by avnut, F. This pinion-wheel O is smooth upon more than one-half of itsperiphery. Its teeth gear with a gear-wheel, Q, which meshes with asmaller gear, Q', the journals of both the latter gears being sustainedin the stay-piece at one end and in a bracket, Q3, at the other end, andthe shaft of the gear Q extending within the stay-piece so as to carry agear, Q2, which gears with a wheel, V', fixed on a shaft extending fromone staypiece to the other, and carrying a fan-wheel, V2.

The gear-wheel F meshes with the gear G, and that with the gear H, theshaft of the latter beingjournaled at one end in one of the side or staypieces and :near its other end in a standard, c', (shown in section inFig. 2,) which is to be properly `secured against the inside of the stayor side pieces, or else to the facin gs. The gear H is fastened upon theend of its shaft L, outside of the standard c'. A lever, a, secured to acrank-pin, z, upon the outside of the gear H, extends between twofulcrum-pins, b c, which are iixed in the sides of two stay-plates, C,(one of which is shown in Fig. 1,) which extend from one of the facingsA4 to the other. The lever a is rounded at its end and made to it theholes 8 9, &c., of the disk E, and has a hook, s, formed on its underside just beyond the pins b c, and a hook or dog, s', on its inner face,as seen in two diii'crent positions of the lever in Fig. 2. 'lherevolution ot' the crank z will cause the lever a. to be alternatelyadvanced and withdrawn, so as to enter and retire from one ot' the holes3 9, Sac., ofthe disk, and by reason of the bearing or fulcrum pins b cthe levers will have a vertical movement also, which will enable it torotate the disk during all the time that its end is in one ofthe holes 89. Ste., the adjustments of these parts being such as that the rotationof the disk by these means shall be exactly equal to the distance fromthe center oi' one ofthe holes to the center ofthe next one.

U is the barrel, and K' the stock, otl the gun, secured together by ascrew-joint. The stock receives the rotating` cylinder 7, the rotatingdisk E, and a stationary partition, K', secured within the stock, andwhich is perforated to permit the passage through it ot' the lever af,the hammer x, the tampion 15, the linger M' of the safety-guard, and theaxle or shaft g of the disk E, the perforation for the lever t being avertical slot of length sutlcient to allow of the vertical movement ofthe lever. The stock is divided into longitudinal sections, which aresecured to each other below by means of an ordinary joint and screw-pin,f, and above by a sliding catch, A', which latches over and into a notchcut in the end of the stock, as seen in Fig. 1. The catch is held in theposition there seen by a knob, c2, which is fheld up before the catch bya spring beneath,

(seen in dotted outline in Fig. 1.) When the knob is pressed down thecatch can be withdrawn and the stock released, so that it may be openedto withdraw the cylinder W. The cylinder is centered in front by thesliding point t, and behind by the projecting end ot axle g ot' therotating disk. The bolt t slides in a socket, t', made in the lower partof the stock, and is moved by a link, 7L, loosely jointed to the boltand to a hub, h', below thejointf. Vhen the stock is opened the hub 7L',being brought nearer to the under side of the barrel, starts the boltont of its socket in the cylinder by impelling the link h.

The disk E is made in sections 6 and 7, the latter having an axle, g,which passes through the section 6, to which it is secured by a nutscrewed upon a thread cut upon it, as seen in Fig. 4, the end g3 of theaxle projecting beyond section 6, as shown. The other end of the axleextends far enough beyond the disk to reach through and beyond thepartition K', its extreme end g' being rounded, and a groove, g2, beingcut upon it near its end, which receives thefork of a Hat spring, 5,secured to the partition K', whereby the disk is drawn backward awayfrom the cylinder. The perforations of the disk must lczoincide innumber and position with the contes U, which communicate with thechambers Ui-2 of the cylinder. Section 6 ot the disk is showsk dividedin Fig. 4, so as to show the shape of its perforations. These are madehat-shape, so as to receive solid blocks ot' corresponding shape,resembling coopers rivets, whose iianges are, by the junction of the twoparts of the disk, secured in the enlarged portions ot' theperforations, within which they are free to move endwise by thedifterence between the thickness ot' their iian ges and the depth ot thesockets which receive them. )When the cylinder is capped and in placethe space seen in Fig. 1 between the cones and the ends of the blocks istaken up by the caps, so that the caps and blocks will be in contact.

A standard, 17, extending from the face of the partition K', supports ablock (designated by the Figs. 13 and 14) by means ot' a fulcrumpin, 16.ln this illustration oi my invention I have shown the block composed ot'two parts, which are secured by the pin 16 on opposite sides oftheirstandard. A sliding bolt or tainpion, 15, is loosely hinged to theparts 13 and 14 of the block. r1`he part 13 has an arm, 20, which, in the advance of the lever a, is struck by its dog S', whereby the block,being rotated on the pin 16, is made to withdraw the tampion out ofwhatever hole ot' the disk it occupied. The other part, 14, of the blockhas an arm, 21, which stretches across the path of hook s ot' the levera, which, on its backward movement, draws the block 14around so as tocause the tampion to enter another hole of thevdisk. The part 14 of thcblock extends, as at 22, behind the part 13, so as to form an ear,through which the ljoint-pin 23, that connects the tampion to both partsof the block, can pass. The part 13 of the block is so curved on theside which is opposite to the end g' ot' the axle of the disk as to forma cam, which, when the tampion is forced into a hole ot' the disk,presses against thc end g', and thus forces the disk snugly against thecylinder, to close the joints between them and between the cylinder andbarrel and prevent the leaking ot' the gases from the cylinder, and whenit is withdrawn therefrom presents its lesser face opposite the axle,thereby permitting the spring 5 to withdraw the disk awayfrom thecylinder, in order that the disk and cylinder may be freely rotatcd. Thesections 6 and 7 ot' the disk are iittcd together by cars c2, projectingfrom the section 6 and tting in recesses cut on the periphery of section7 whereby they are made to rotate together. Like ears, e, projectingfrom the other side of section 6, tinto recesses cut in the periphery ofthe cylinder.

X is the hammer-rod, whose free end is sustained in the partition K',through which it passes in a hole coinciding successively with the holesin the disk E, and its inner end is secured by a loose joint to thehammer V, which is pivoted at V2 to the frame of the butt,

'and is constantly drawn forward by the tension of ailat spring, O,which bears on afriction-roller, O2, secured in a shoulder near itsfulcrum V2, and operates the hammer., and thereby explodes the cap. Afriction-roller, u, is secured to the side of the hammer near its top,which is caught at each revolution of the pinion H by a cocker, K, whichis a section of a circle or ring set eccentrically upon that face of adisk, I, fast on the shaft L, which is adjacent to the hammer. Thecocker K (shown in two positions in Fig. 5) is pointed at that end whichis farthest from its center ot' motion L, so that it can readily, whenits disk is revolved, seize the friction-roller n', and thereby draw thehammer and its rod backward. When the cocker has moved to the positionshown in blue in Fig. 5ithas drawn the hammer back to its farthest limitin that direction, ready to be released so soon as its continualrevolution carries its base 'n' past the roller n. In this position itisheld by means of the tumbler It, which at this inomentcatches against ashoulder or notch cnt on the periphery of the disk I, and prevents thefurther rotation of the disk and the cocker. This end of the tumbler Ris held continually toward the periphery of the disk by a spring, T,(seen in Fig. 1.) The tumbler (see Fig. l) extends beyond its fulcrum U,so that its other end lies directly over the levers of the hair-triggerS and the common trigger S2, which will, when constructed and operatedin the ordinary way, strike the tumbler and disengage it from the diskl, and thereby release the hammer.

Itis evident from the above description that when this is done the diskwill continue to rcvolve by means of the tension of the springA, drivingthe train ot' pinions which connect its shaft with the shaft L until itstension is exhausted, thereby operating the hammer and its rod once ateach revolution ot' the cocker, unless the trigger is released by thefinger, in which case the spring T will force the tumbler again uptoward the disk, so as to catch against its shoulder, after the mannerof a detent and ratchet.

In order to prevent a discharge by the premature action ot the hammer bythe accidental unlocking of the tumbler, the cylinder can be removedfrom the gun and carried about the person; and whether this is or is notdone I have attempted to guard against and prevent the accidental orpremature discharge of the piece by means of a safety-guard, consistingof a locking-bolt, M', whose free end passes into one of the holes ofthe disk E, its other end being loosely jointed to the shorter arm of aright-angled lever, Q, which is attached to the frame of the butt justbehind the locking-slide A', so as to swing freely on a fulcrum. Aspring, U3, forces the longer arm of this lever up against the frame ofthe butt, thereby forcing the bolt M into one of the vholes of the disk,so as to prevent its rotation,whether the cocker be free to revolve ornot.

A thumb-bolt, N, having a ange at its base, is inserted within a holecut through the frame of the stock just opposite the end of the longerarm of the lever Qfso as to project upon the outside. Wheneversufficient pressure is made on this bolt the sliding bolt will bewithdrawn from the disk, and it and the cylinderwill be free to rotate.

The fan-wheel V2 is driven by the train ot' gearing V Q2 Q Q and thefractional or segment gear G', and which are so arranged as to producethe greatest possible speed for the fan-wheel. rThe fan revolves onlywhile the segment-gear is engaged with the gear Q.. The object of thefan-wheel is to retard the revolution of the cocker, so as to give thehammer sufficient. time to strike before itis again caught by thecocker; and as the whole torce of the spring is needed at the time whenthe disk and cylinder are being rotated, I stop the fan altogetherduring that part ot' the movement by using a segment-gear, C', to` drivethe fan. The meshing of the gears Q, and G are insured at each newengagement or revolution ot' the segment by means of the spring-brakeIt, which presses continually against the teeth oi' the gear Q, so thatwhen in a state of rest its teeth shall be in position to mesh with thesegment when its teeth are again brought round.

The bayonet 1 (shown in Fig. 8) slides in sockets made beneath thebarrel, and is secured or locked in two different positions, eitheradvanced for use or withdrawn, as shown in red outline, by means ot abolt passing through the inner end ot' the bayonet, and secured by aspring, which presses it constantly against the barrel, so as to lockthe bolt in one or the other of two holes, 4, drilled in the barrel. Itis only necessary to withdraw the bolt in order to slide the bayonet toone or the other otl its two positions.

Fig. 9 shows` the disk E made in one solid piece instead of two, as inthe other tigures. When thus made the yleakage ot' the gases from theexplosion ot' the caps jand charge among the operating parts behindmaybe prevented by securing the blocks Y by means of a washer or equivalentdevice, which will secure them in place and permit the action of thelever a and the hammer and rod and the bolts that enter the disk, and atthe same time shut out the gases from entering the hollow butt of thegun.

When the gun is to be fired in single shots the safety-guard bolt M isto be left in place, locking the disk E, when a pull on the trigger willbring the hammer down on the cap. The cylinder is to be then partiallyrotated for another shot by pressing the thumb on the bolt N, in orderto unlock the disk at the same time that the trigger is pulled, whentheunlocking ot' the disk l from the tumbler will cause the lever a torotate the disk E, and the cylinder is ready for another discharge. It'the thumbbolt N is kept pressed down by the thumb and the trigger isheld back against the tumbler,

the spring A will cause the hammer to repeat its action and the cylinderto be rotated without cessation until all the chambers are discharged orthe force ofthe spring is exhausted; but it' the cylinder is to berotated only for another discharge, the thumb-bolt and hair-trigger areto be operated at the same time and at once released, which will causethe cylinder to expose the neXt cap to the hammer', and an other chamberwill be discharged, when it will be immediately locked again by the holtM.

Ihe spring-detect R carries a friction-roller, R', on the bearing end orsurface which comes in contact with the pinion Q, so .that while theforce ofits spring will break or retard the speed of the gearing thedetent will also suffer the teeth of the pinion to pass under it withoutany possibility of actually locking it; i and, furthermore, when thepinion Q ceases to move by reason that the teeth of the segment-gear Chave passed out of contact with it, the friction- .roller It will so actas that the detent will not rest on the point of a tooth, but will rollso as to bring it between two adjacent teeth, and thereby secure themeshing ofthe segment and the pinion Q, and the adjustment of the detentand pinions are to be made with that objectin view.

It is necessary, in order to the perfect action .ot' my gun, that therotation ofthe cylinder and the cockin g ofthe hammer be effected withthe utmost rapidity,and that the blow of the hammer should be given whenthe cylinder is at rest. I have therefore so organized the mechanismabove described as to retard its action during that period by means ofthe fractional or segment gear C and its train of gearing Q Q Q2 Q3,which will take up so much of the -power ot' the spring A as is requiredto drive them, and in so much decrease the speed ofthe mechanism,thereby giving the hammer time to give its blow before it is againcaught by the cocker. rIhe fan-wheel is added to assist the .train ot'gearing in produein g this effect.

I claim as new and desire to secure b'y Letters Patentl. A revolvingtire-arm adapted, in the manner herein described, to discharge thechambers of the cylinder successively through one barrel by a singlepull of the trigger.

2. rIhe cocker K for operating the hammer, constructed and operatedsubstantially as above described.

3. rlhe lever a for rotating the cylinder, in combination with the crankvthat drives it and the fulcrum-pins b c, or their equivalents,substantially as described.

4. The disk E, made in 'two sections, with solid blocks Y in theirperforations to receive the blows of the hammer and prevent the escapeot' gas into the hollow butt, substantially as described.

5. The combination, with the lever a, of the lever-block 13 14,operating upon the bolt 15, as described, to lock and unlock therevolving cylinder.

6. In combination with the parts specified in the preceding clause, theeccentric surface on the block 13 to close the disk against thecylinder, and the spring 5 to withdraw said disk.

7. The combination ot' the fan-wheel with the segment-wheel c and themechanism for rotating the disk I and operating the cocker and the levera, substantially as described.

S. The segment or fractional pinion C and its train ot' gearing Q Q',Src., so arranged with the mechanism which cocks the hammer and rotatesthe cylinder as to be in action to retard the speed of the mechanismwhen the hammer is striking the cap, substantially as described.

THEO. TUsoH, M. M. LIVINGSTON.

